Survey of Burma/Myanmar Public Opinion March 9 – April 1, 2017
2
• Period : March 9, 2017 - April 1, 2017
• Survey Type : In-person, in-home interviews
• Eligibility : The survey is a national representative sample of voting age adults, age 18+.
• Total Respondents : n = 3,000
• Data was collected by Myanmar Survey Research under the supervision of Rob Varsalone of Global Strategic
Partners and the International Republican Institute.
• A multi-stage probability sample was used. The sample was distributed into 300 primary sampling units
(PSU) which were then stratified by region. Townships were selected through the Probability-Proportionate-
to-Size (PPS) method and the sample was further stratified by location. The equal-sized village tracts were
selected by simple random sampling (SRS) and then the PSUs were selected through PPS.
• Within each PSU, systematic random sampling was used to select the households. Within each household
the respondent was selected through the Kish Grid.
• At the midrange the survey has a confidence interval of plus and minus 1.8 percent with a confidence level
of 95 percent. The response rate was 63 percent.
• The information in this report has been compiled in accordance with international standards for market and
social research methodologies. Figures in charts and tables may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding
error.
Detailed Methodology
3
Burma/Myanmar Geographical Zones
Hill zoneKachinChin
Shan Kayah
Kayin
Plains zone
SagaingMandalay
Magway
Naypyitaw
Coastal zone
Rakhine Bago
Ayeyarwaddy
YangonMon
Tanintharyi
In general, would you say that things in the country are heading in the right direction or that they are heading in the wrong
direction?
5
88%
6%
6%
Right direction Wrong direction Don't know/No response
Apr-17
75%
16%
9%
Feb-14
Why do you say “right direction”?*(n=2,249)
6
Infrastructure 40%
Roads are being paved and bridges are
being built37%
Other 3%
Economy 18%
Economic conditions have improved 12%
There are more jobs 4%
Other 2%
Democracy/Freedom 6%
People can speak their mind about
politics4%
Other 2%
Security 10%
Security has improved 4%
Ethnic conflict has declined 3%
Other 3%
New Government – Misc. 5%
Don’t know/No response 9%
*Responses less than 3 percent have been excluded for the purposes of this slide.
Social Services 6%
More people have access to education 3%
Other 3%
Why do you say “wrong direction”?(n=493)
7
Economy 53%
Poor economic conditions 21%
Prices are higher 21%
Crop prices are lower 7%
There are fewer jobs 3%
Other 1%
Peace Process/Violence 20%
Ethnic violence 12%
Slow progress in the peace process 5%
Sectarian violence 3%
Problems with Youth 3%
Law and Order 14%
Crime is worse 5%
No rule of law/transparency 4%
Security has declined 3%
Other 2%
Infrastructure 3%
Don’t know/No response 5%
*Responses less than 3 percent have been excluded for the purposes of this slide.
How would you describe the security situation in the country?
8
19%
50%
19%
7%
5%
Very good
Good
Bad
Very bad
Don't know/No response
How would you describe the political situation in the
country?
9
14%
38%34%
7%
7%
Very stable
Somewhat stable
Somewhat unstable
Very unstable
Don't know/No response
Compared to a year ago, has the political situation become more
stable, stayed the same, or become less stable?
38%
30%
28%
4%
More stable
Same
Less stable
Don't know/No response
How would you describe the current economic situation in the country?
10
12%
10%
73%
53%
11%
22%
1%
9%
4%
6%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Very good Somewhat good Somewhat bad Very bad Don't know/No response
Thinking now about your personal economic situation, compared to a year ago, has it improved, stayed the same or worsened?
11
40%
39%
45%
37%
16%
23%
1%
1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Feb-14
Apr-17
57%
55%
24%
26%
2%
9%
17%
10%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Improved Same Worse Don't know/No response
Thinking about the upcoming year, do you expect your personal economic situation to get better, stay the same or get worse?
Which one of these phrases comes closest to your own feelings about
your household's income these days?
12
14%
56%
20%
9%
1%
Living comfortably on present income
Getting by on present income
Finding it difficult on present income
Finding it very difficult on present income
Don't know/No response
How would you describe your household’s current standard of living?
5%
61%
23%
8%3%
Very good
Good
Bad
Very bad
Don't know/No response
2%
44%
8%
13%
6%
4%
13%
9%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Don't know/No response
90-100%
80-90%
70-80%
60-70%
50-60%
About 50%
Less than 50%
Every week, what percentage of your income would you say you spend on basic needs, such as food, clothing and housing?
13
What are the three biggest problems facing the country as a whole? (open-ended)
15
Issue First mention Second mention Third mention Total
Economy 25% 32% 26% 83%
No jobs 11% 14% 9% 34%
High prices 7% 8% 8% 23%
Low crop prices 4% 5% 4% 13%
Conflict 18% 16% 15% 49%
Civil war/peace process 9% 8% 3% 20%
Sectarian conflict 5% 5% 9% 19%
Ethnic violence 4% 3% 4% 11%
Law and Order 13% 9% 12% 34%
Security/safety/crime rate 3% 5% 6% 14%
No rule of law 1% 2% 2% 5%
Political Instability 13% 5% 5% 23%
Don’t know/No response 28% 1% 1% 30%
*Responses less than 3 percent have been excluded for the purposes of this slide.
In your opinion, what should be the first priority of the national government? (open-ended)
16
Economy 31%
Improve economic conditions 24%
Create more jobs 4%
Other 3%
Ethnic/Sectarian Conflict 25%
Peace process 24%
Other 1%
Development/Infrastructure 11%
Improve the transportation system 5%
Construct hospitals and clinics 3%Expand electricity access throughout
country3%
*Responses less than 3 percent have been excluded for the purposes of this slide.
Don’t know/No response 13%
Social Services 6%
Increase education standards 6%
On each of these issues, would you say that they are a serious problem, somewhat of a problem, or not much of a problem at all?
17
44%
48%
50%
49%
51%
44%
43%
55%
47%
47%
46%
51%
42%
49%
52%
54%
46%
43%
29%
29%
28%
30%
28%
35%
37%
25%
33%
34%
36%
30%
40%
33%
30%
29%
38%
43%
21%
22%
18%
16%
15%
19%
16%
18%
18%
18%
17%
14%
16%
13%
15%
16%
14%
12%
6%
1%
4%
5%
6%
3%
4%
3%
2%
1%
2%
6%
2%
5%
3%
1%
2%
2%
Corruption
Lack of water
Environmental issues
Crime
Land-grabbing
Housing
Lack of support for farmers
Terrorism
Education quality
Low quality of healthcare
Unemployment
Ethnic conflict
Lack of infrastructure
Political instability
Sectarian conflict
Ability to get medical care
Low income
Price increases
Problem Somewhat of a problem Not much of a problem at all Don't know/No response
In order to amend the Constitution it would require the support of more than 75 percent of parliament. Do you support or oppose
making it easier to amend the Constitution by changing this requirement?
18
48%
32%
4%
5%
11%
Strongly support
Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose
Strongly oppose
Don't know/No response
If you could only have one or the other, which is more important to you: a democratic system of government or a prosperous economy?
20
24%
11%
20%
40%
5%
Democracy is definitely
more important to me
Democracy is somewhat
more important to me
Prosperity is somewhat
more important to me
Prosperity is definitely
more important to me
Don't know/No response
Total Prefer Democracy Total Prefer Prosperity
18-25 years old 34% 63%26-40 years old 34% 61%41-55 years old 34% 61%
Over 55 years old 41% 54%
Do you agree or disagree with each of these statements:
21
In a democracy, the economic system runs badly
3%
13%
7%
20%
30%
28%
9%
33%
21%
5%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Don't know/No Response
Democracies aren't any good at maintaining law and order
2%
10%
7%
19%
28%
28%
37%
34%
27%
10%
Feb-14
Apr-17
3%
19%
14%
29%
20%
20%
29%
23%
34%
10%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Democracies are indecisive and have too much squabbling
Democracy may have problems, but it is better than any other form of government
50%
41%
26%
40%
3%
7%
1%
6%
21%
7%
Feb-14
Apr-17
When it comes to the democratic process in Burma/Myanmar, over the past year, do you think that things have gotten better, worse,
or stayed the same?
22
54%
31%
8%
7%
Better
Same
Worse
Don't know/No response
In your opinion, are people in Burma/Myanmar afraid to openly express their political views?
23
34%
26%
37%
3%
Most are afraid
Some are afraid
For the most part no one is afraid
Don't know/No response
25
20%
24%
69%
58%
4%
8%
1%
3%
6%
8%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Very good job Good job Bad job Very bad job Don't know/No response
Generally speaking, do you think the national government is doing a good job or a bad job?
Rate the national government’s performance on each of the following:
26
20%
22%
22%
28%
29%
29%
29%
30%
30%
31%
31%
32%
35%
36%
38%
44%
44%
45%
46%
52%
45%
53%
44%
42%
43%
52%
42%
43%
49%
49%
43%
50%
46%
47%
50%
42%
41%
38%
41%
39%
18%
13%
17%
14%
13%
8%
13%
13%
10%
10%
11%
7%
10%
10%
5%
8%
8%
8%
7%
5%
10%
7%
10%
11%
11%
4%
10%
10%
5%
6%
7%
4%
5%
5%
3%
4%
5%
7%
4%
3%
8%
4%
7%
6%
5%
7%
7%
3%
7%
4%
7%
6%
5%
2%
5%
2%
3%
1%
2%
1%
Controlling inflation
Employment
Housing
Fighting corruption
Fighting crime
Democratic reforms
Ending sectarian conflict
Poverty reduction
Land rights
Preserving the environment
Ending ethnic conflict
Ethnic-based equality
Peace process
Delivering quality healthcare
Gender equality
Improving education
Water sanitation
Electricity availability
Water availability
Development of roads/bridges
Very good Good Bad Very bad Don't know/No response
27
20%
30%
45%
46%
4%
5%
1%
2%
31%
17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Feb-14
Apr-17
Very good job Good job Bad job Very bad job Don't know/No response
Do you think the Union Parliament is doing a good job or a bad job?
Do you think your state/regional parliament is doing a good job or a bad job?
28
28%
50%
4%
2%
16%
Very good job
Good job
Bad job
Very bad job
Don't know/No response
Thinking some more about the performance of the national government, how long do you think it will take them to start
delivering results for the Burmese people?
17%
1%
12%
16%
22%
31%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Don't know/No response
They have had enough time already
Within the next year
Within two years
Within three years
By the end of their term in 2020
29
Do you support giving the states/regions more autonomy and power so that they can make decisions for themselves, or do you think that all
power and decisions should be centralized and made by the union government?
31
23%
67%
10%
Support more autonomy and power for states and regions
Support centralized power and decisions made by the union government
Don't know/No response
Apr-17 Feb-14
35%
57%
8%
Do you support giving the states/regions more autonomy and power so that they can make decisions for themselves, or do you think that all
power and decisions should be centralized and made by the union government?
(Disaggregated Data)
32
Apr-2017 Feb-2014
Autonomous Centralized Autonomous Centralized
Urban 22% 69% 35% 59%
Rural 23% 67% 35% 57%
Bamar 17% 74% 30% 62%
Non-Bamar 35% 52% 47% 47%
Hill Zone 27% 57% 39% 35%
Plains Zone 19% 71% 25% 65%
Coastal Zone 24% 69% 40% 53%
Would you prefer that provinces elect their own Chief Minister, or should
they be appointed by the union government?
33
Would you support or oppose provinces having more control over
their natural resources?
26%
25%14%
27%
8%
Strongly support Somewhat support
Somewhat oppose Strongly oppose
Don't know/No response
49%
43%
9%
Prefer provinces elect their Chief Minister
Prefer Chief Minister appointed by nat'l government
Don't know/No response
Centralized/Autonomous (Disaggregated Data)
34
Chief minister elected by
provinces or appointed by union
government
Provinces should have more
control over natural resources
Provinces elect Union appoint Support Oppose
Urban 59% 28% 47% 46%Rural 48% 43% 53% 39%Bamar 48% 45% 45% 49%
Non-Bamar 51% 38% 64% 25%Hill Zone 47% 39% 59% 28%
Plains Zone 45% 46% 48% 43%Coastal Zone 52% 42% 50% 45%
Thinking now about the 2015 national elections, did you vote in
the elections?
36
84%
16%
Yes
No
77%
14%
7%
2%
Very likely
Somewhat likely
Somewhat unlikely
Very unlikely
How likely, if at all, are you to vote in the next national elections in
2020?
17%
10%
2%
4%
12%
23%
34%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Don't know/No response
Other
Family ties
Ethnicity
Quality of their
candidates
The party leader
Party platform
What is the most important reason for you in choosing a political party?
37
In the past year have you been contacted by a member of the
national or state/region parliament?
38
3%
96%
1%
Yes
No
Don't know/No response
Thinking now about the future, would you welcome contact from a Member of Parliament or political
party?
81%
16%
3%
Yes
No
Don't know/No response
Which of the following forms of contact would you welcome from a Member of Parliament or political party?
39
35%
47%
53%
60%
66%
69%
81%
34%
33%
33%
28%
29%
23%
18%
31%
20%
14%
12%
5%
9%
2%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
SMS
Approach in a public
place, like market or
town square
Phone call
Attend a rally
Attend neighborhood
meeting
Visit at my home
Yes No Don't know/No response
Visit at my home
Approach in a
public place, like market or town
square
Phone call
SMS
Attend
neighborhood meeting
Attend a rally
If there are two candidates running for office and they have the same qualifications aside from the fact that one is a man and one
is a woman, which candidate are you more likely to support?
40
48%
24%
25%
3%
Apr-17 Feb-14
53%
26%
14%
7%
Man Woman Makes no difference Don't know/Refused to answer
If there are two candidates running for office and they have the same qualifications aside from the fact that one is a man and one is a
woman, which candidate are you more likely to support? (Disaggregated data)
41
44%
63%
38%
13%
10%
17%
8%
7%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Women
Men
Prefer man Prefer women Makes no difference Don't know/No response
Politicians do not listen to the needs and ideas of women.
42
6%
13%
31%
44%
6%
Politicians do not listen to the needs and ideas of young people.
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
6%
13%
30%45%
6%
Strongly agree Somewhat agree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree Don't know/No response
Do you ever use Facebook?
44
25%
75%
Yes
No
Don't know/No response
70%
20%
5%5%
Almost every day
At least once a week
At least once a month
Rarely, if ever
Don't know/No response
How often do you use Facebook?(n=745)
What do you like most about Facebook?
(Open-ended, n=745)
45
Response Percent
Watching/reading international and
local news73%
Chatting with children/friends 6%Reading fashion designs, status
updates, photos uploaded by friends
5%
Reading poems, novels, and comics 4%
Response Percent
Fake news 24%
Embarrassing videos, photos, scandals 22%Abusive/offensive/threatening
language10%
Chatting, commenting and posting 5%Posting statuses and photos that attack
religion, ethnicities4%
Don’t know/No response 28%
What do you like least about Facebook?
(Open-ended, n=745)
*Responses less than 3 percent have been excluded for the purposes of this slide.
When it comes to the sources from which you get your news, to what extent do you rely on Facebook for your news? Would you say that:
(n=745)
46
38%
35%
17%
10%
You get most, if not all, of your news from Facebook
You get some of your news from Facebook but from other sources as well
You mostly get news from other sources, and get only a little news from Facebook
You rarely get news from Facebook, if at all
Don't know/No response
Do you ever see posts about conflict - such as ethnic or religious conflict - in Burma/Myanmar on Facebook?
(n=745)
47
24%
36%
22%
16%
2%
Yes, almost every day
At least once a week
At least once a month
Rarely, if ever
Don't know/No response
Have you ever asked a Facebook friend to not share graphic information related to ethnic or religious conflict?
(n=745)
48
11%
19%
69%
1%
Yes, frequently
Sometimes
Rarely, if ever
Don't know/No response
When it comes to the content you see on Facebook, to what extent do you think it is true?
(n=745)
49
5%
55%
29%
3%
8%
I think almost all of it is true
I think most of it is true
I think most of it is false
I think almost all of it is false
Don't know/No response
5%
3%
1%
1%
8%
14%
17%
19%
32%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Don't know/No response
Other
Internet
Village head
Newspapers
Radio
Relatives/friends
TV
Where are you most likely to get your news and information?
50
Does your household own a mobile phone?
51
87%
13%
Does your household own a SIM card?
(n=2,603)
99%
1%
Yes No
1%
1%
1%
1%
3%
95%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Don't know/No response
Other
Internet
Games
Phone calls
Which of the following do you use your mobile phone for the most? (n=2,603)
52
71%
2%
2%
4%
4%
17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
Never
A few times a year
Once a month
Once a week
A few times a week
Every day
On average, how often do you use the Internet?
53
When you do use the Internet, from where do you most regularly access the Internet?
54
1%
27%
71%
Home
Cell phone
Do not use Internet
How often do you read news magazines, journals or newspapers?
55
9%
13%
11%
67%
1%
Every day
Every week
Every month
Less than every day
Don't know/No response
5%
17%
39%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
2%
3%
3%
4%
17%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Don't know/No response
Cannot get radio signal
None
Other
VOA
Mandalay FM
City FM
Thazin FM
FM channels
DVB
Cherry FM
Pattamyar FM
BBC
Nay Pyi Daw FM
Shwe FM
MRTV
Which radio stations do you listen to regularly?(Open-ended)
56
57
Demographics
GENDER
Male 50%
Female 50%
RELIGION
Buddhism 91%
Christianity 6%
Islam 2%
Hinduism <1%
EDUCATION LEVEL
Illiterate 6%
No schooling - literate 2%
Monastic schooling 3%
Some primary school 22%
Primary-completed grade 5 39%
Middle-completed grade 9 14%
High school-complete grade 11 6%
Vocational college/diploma 2%
College and above 8%
LOCATION
Urban 32%
Rural 68%
AGE
18-25 13%
26-40 33%
41-55 32%
55+ 22%
REGION / STATE
Yangon 16%Mandalay 13%Ayeyarwaddy 12%Shan 11%Sagaing 10%Bago 10%Magway 8%Mon 4%Rakhine 4%Kachin 3%Kayin 3%Tanintharyi 3%Naypyitaw 2%Kayah 1%Chin 1%
ETHNICITY
Bamar 69%
Shan 9%
Kayin 4%
Rakhine 4%
Kachin 2%
Chin 3%
Mon 3%
Burma Indian 2%
Kayah 2%
Burma Chinese 1%
Pa-O 1%
Palong 1%
Larhu 1%
MONTHLY INCOME LEVEL
No household income 1%
1-50,000 Kyat 7%
50,001-100,000 Kyat 17%
100,001-500,000 Kyat 64%
500,001-1,000,000 Kyat 6%
1,000,001 Kyat + 2%
Don't know/No response 4%
ETHNICITY
Bamar 69%
Non-Bamar 32%
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